Thursday, September 20th ONE Lunch with CJ Robbins

September 8, 2018

The men and women of Portland Business Luncheons invite you to join us Thursday, September 20th at 11:45 am to hear from guest speaker, CJ Robbins.

CJ has been working towards social justice since he first noticed inequity on the playground in elementary school. Back then, the fight was to protect the kids who couldn’t protect themselves from bullies. Now he works to elevate the voice of the voiceless and advocate for the value of those voices which are so often invalidated.

CJ moved to Portland to pursue a law degree at Lewis & Clark Law School. While in law school, he was reminded of his experience as a mentor at Rosemary Anderson High School, where he witnessed vast inequities facing young people in all areas of life. These stark inequities in education, employment, health, and most notably the justice system, made him begin to ask some of the questions that would eventually lead him to work in social justice. Along this path, CJ clerked at the Lewis & Clark legal clinic and Metropolitan Public Defenders as a certified law student. This certification allowed him to carry a small caseload and try cases and motions in Multnomah County. During his time at Lewis & Clark, CJ also served as President of the Black Law Students Association and as a member of the Admissions and Diversity Committees.

After law school, CJ clerked for District Court Judge Kenneth Walker. Through this experience, CJ saw that no one in the justice system is directly responsible for addressing unacceptably inequitable outcomes. So, when his clerkship ended, CJ decided that he would find a career path focused on systemic, outcome-focused, equity.

As Black Male Achievement Coordinator for the City of Portland, CJ brings his passion, focus, and critical thinking tools to drive the vision that every Black male will have opportunity, and access to health, safety, and success.

When he is not doing equity work, CJ is spending quality time with the family. He loves making, enjoying, and playing music; and believes he still has a few more good years of competitive basketball in him.

Please come hear CJ’s personal journey of faith and how it impacts his work with inequity.